Summary: The MODтАЩs Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is funding research into the growing culture of computer hackers as well as crowd behaviour and how social media can impact upon behaviours in crises.
The research aims to тАЬdeliver new and innovative ways to understand and influence online behaviourтАЭ.
Global security impact
The ┬г10m project allows postgraduates to study the various reasons people may have for joining online тАШhacktivistтАЩ groups, how online and social activity can influence or dictate real-world crises and how changes brought about by the тАШinformation ageтАЩ are impacting upon global security.
Global threats are throwing up new challenges for the defence industry supply chain and procurement sectors. Threats to cyber security can have a major impact on UK industry and an inadequate Information security system can put businesses both large and small at serious risk.
Digital insurgency research
Over the past five years, Dstl has funded multiple PhD projects, and over the last year almost ┬г100,000 was awarded for research on the rise of digital insurgency.
An MOD spokesperson quoted in the Guardian said: тАЬCyber-security is an issue of growing importance. As routine cyber-security measures (patching, anti-virus) become ubiquitous, socially engineered attacks are a growing threat.
тАЬDstl seeks to understand these threats and the vulnerabilities they exploit in order to provide effective advice and support to the MOD and wider government on defending against these threats.тАЭ
The spokesperson added that the MOD was also тАЬtrying to understand the world in which we live and anticipate the world in which we will liveтАЭ and that to do so тАЬit now needs to incorporate an understanding of events in cyberspace and how they might unfoldтАЭ.
